


soul of shores

by minmoanie



Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Concubines, Enemies to Lovers, Jung Hoseok | J-Hope & Park Jimin Are Best Friends, Kinda, Mermaids, Merman Jimin, Multi, Polyamory, Prince Jeon Jungkook, Royalty, Sea witches, Soulmates, Supernatural Elements, Will get explicit, Witch Kim Taehyung | V, Witchcraft, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2020-02-10 09:24:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18657586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minmoanie/pseuds/minmoanie
Summary: Jungkook’s diagnosis is final, he’s going to die, despite Taehyung’s help. His last chance is an old myth according to which a mermaid can save someone on the brink of death. But it might be harder than he thought, as Jimin is his only chance.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on twitter ([@minmoanie](https://twitter.com/minmoanie)) and [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/minmoanie)  
> 

 

Jimin couldn’t believe it, he really couldn’t. How could he get caught? How didn’t he see it coming? He should have known better than to approach the coast, he shouldn’t have been this curious, he knew it. He didn’t even understand how it had happened, one moment he had been observing the way humans walked around the deck of a ship, minding their own business, the next moment he was trapped in a fishnet and hauled out of the water. They had thrown something over his head, keeping him trapped into the fishnet, before taking him where he was now.

He looked around the dark cell, hearing the distinct sound of waves. There wasn’t any water, but this place had to be close to the sea. He could feel the sharp cobblestones under him, scraping his tail, surely damaging his silver-blue scales. He could feel the stones under his elbows, breaking the skin as he tried to prop himself up. His nose scrunched up at the metallic scent that filled his nostrils, he wasn’t used to smelling his own blood.

Who had even captured him? He didn’t know this place, nor did he know those men who had thrown a net on him. He had tried to escape the moment he had realised what was happening, but his tail had been caught in the net, preventing him from moving.

He sighed, already guessing that people wouldn’t look for him, who would after all? Being the son of a merman and a sea witch was too much for them to deal with. He had been able to live amongst other mermaids and mermen only because his father actually was a noble and a royal advisor, but even he had seemed to slowly care less about his son. So disappearing would probably be a relief for these people, not a worry.

He heard footsteps and soon two men came into his field of vision. They both stood on the other side of the bars, their eyes roaming shamelessly over his body.

Jimin already knew one of them, he was one of those who had caught him. He remembered watching him order people around on the deck of the ship. It was a tall man with long black hair tied back in a low ponytail, his dark eyes set on the merman as he squirmed on the ground, trying to make himself more comfortable. Jimin could feel the sour taste of resentment on his tongue as he glared at the man who had taken him away from the sea, his home.

However, he knew nothing about the other one. A tall brunet, taller than the black-haired human, and quite muscular, although finely. They locked eyes, Jimin then noticing the other’s eye colour, an unusual shade of purple. As much as Jimin despised humans, the looks of this one were intriguing, reminding Jimin of someone he used to know, although it made no sense as this man was a mere human being.

“Why didn’t you put him in water?” the brunet asked, a slight frown etched between his brows.

“Is it needed?” the other frowned.

“Of course it is,” he groaned, running a hand over his face. “He’s a merman, he needs water to live. Where the hell did you leave your brain today?”

“I heard stories about mermaids getting legs, so why wouldn’t he change?” asked the raven, wincing as he was scolded, although not saying anything against it, he had no right to.

Jimin bit his lower lip as he heard his gaoler’s words. It was also something that was talked about among his species, but none of them had experienced it as far as he knew, so they considered it a legend. His mother had legs, but that was only because she wasn’t a mermaid. Maybe he could get legs, after all he could use magic thanks to his origins…

He shook his head, scolding himself mentally. What the hell was he even thinking? Never would he get legs, he would be ashamed of being like those filthy and greedy humans.

“So, can you turn into a human?” asked the man.

Jimin only hissed in response, baring his sharp teeth.

He was part of a feared species of merpeople that could be compared to sharks, although they didn’t have tails and fins like them. However some of his kind were known to actually attack other mermaids to feed, not caring that they were literally eating some of their own. Jimin had always considered them barbaric and he didn’t want to be associated with those people, but his sharp teeth proved that he was just like them, he unfortunately couldn’t hide it. He couldn’t even hide the fact that he was half-witch, having a tattoo between his shoulder blades, the symbol of his mother’s family.

“Does he even speak our language?” questioned the brunet, his eyes still set on Jimin.

The merman scoffed in response. _Of course I understand you, dumbass_ , he thought, glaring at the man. Did humans really know nothing about merpeople?

“I think he does, he’s mocking you,” snorted the other.

“Don’t get too comfortable around me, don’t forget that I can get you killed in a second, Jihoon,” growled the brunet as the other quickly muttered an apology, bowing deeply.

Jimin blinked repeatedly at that, his eyes set on the one who had just spoken. Who was that man? His behaviour reminded him of his own realm, of one of the princes. He would snap his fingers and get someone killed on a whim, nobody would say anything, not wanting to be the next one on the scaffold.

“Your eyes are something different.”

He looked up at the brunet to lock eyes with him again. He knew he had different eyes, he had thin vertical pupils and the natural blue colour of his irises sometimes shone in a way that other merpeople’s eyes didn’t, once again giving away his heritage. It had something to do with his sea-witch side. His mother always told him that it was magic that made his eyes so distinctive, so beautiful, or so she claimed.

“Open the door,” ordered the human.

The raven did what he was asked to, although reluctantly. Jimin hissed and crawled away as the brunet entered the cell, towering above the merman. He bumped into the wall behind him as he tried to get away from the other, wincing in pain, his head throbbing.

“You’re only hurting yourself more,” sighed the man.

“Get away from me,” he snarled in response.

The brunet stared at him with wide eyes before chuckling lightly.

“At least this made you speak,” he smiled.

“I’ve nothing to do with the likes of you,” growled Jimin, still trying to move away as the brunet reached his right hand out to him.

“Come on, I’ll put you in some water, wouldn’t it be more comfortable?”

“My prince, it’s useless, he doesn’t want your help,” spoke up Jihoon, not moving from his spot near the door.

The merman gaped at the brunet, feeling his heart in his throat. So he was indeed a prince. This made his help even less wanted, he didn’t want to have anything to do with royalty, he hated it in his own realm, it wouldn’t be any better on the ground.

“You shouldn’t have captured him in the first place,” sighed the prince.

“Don’t put the blame on us, my prince, you were the one to ask for a mermaid. We didn’t get a female, but well…”

“What do filthy humans like you want from me?” groaned Jimin, not caring that he had interrupted the other.

“Stop insulting our prince like that, he only wants to help if you haven’t noticed yet,” retorted Jihoon.

Jimin huffed in response, looking away as he ran his fingers through his drying silver locks. The fact that he was now on the dry land gave him little to no hope about possibly escaping, or even surviving for that matter. He didn’t have a death wish, no matter what people told him, or what he sometimes told himself, Jimin loved life, he enjoyed travelling, sometimes meeting people who didn’t have the same prejudices against his species than the merpeople from his realm. But he couldn’t quite imagine a positive outcome to his current predicament. So right now, as he focused his attention back on the prince, all he saw was death. However, that didn’t mean he couldn’t try to bargain his release.

“People always want something in return, and you captured me, so you definitely want something from me, just spit it out,” he sighed.

The prince heaved a sigh and looked at Jihoon before turning back to the merman.

“I’m sick. According to my doctors, I don’t have any chance of recovery,” he explained.

“What does it have to do with me?” asked Jimin, warily.

“There’s a rumour.”

He raised an eyebrow and scoffed, a rumour? Humans really had to invent things all the time. What would it be this time? Decades ago, people thought that a mermaid’s fin was the perfect remedy. It couldn’t be that such a rumour had remained for so long?

“It is said that mermaids can save people when they are on the verge of death,” continued the brunet.

“What makes you think it’s true?” frowned Jimin, stroking his tail to try to make the pulsating pain go away.

The prince looked down at those words. There was indeed no proof, but he wanted to believe that he could be saved. He was his parents’ only child, they never had managed to have another one, he couldn’t die, not now.

Jimin sighed and looked at his tail. It was covered in cuts, if he didn’t do something quickly, they would get infected, which could lead to his own death. He knew what the brown-haired prince was talking about, and he knew that it actually was true, but there was one condition for it to work, and it wasn’t easy.

“You’re right, we can save one person in our life,” he finally said with a sigh.

The prince looked up, his purple eyes gleaming with hope at those words.

“But you picked the worst merman you could ever find,” he snorted, finally managing to sit up and rest his back on the wall.

“Why?” asked the other with a frown.

“There’s one condition for this to work.”

“What is it?” he insisted, crouching in front of the merman.

“You need to make me fall in love with you,” explained Jimin, his eyes locking with the other’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've read things from my other fandom, and perhaps my own work in it, this will sound familiar to you. That's because it's a rework of it! Although this version is different (and has a different plot in general), so as much as a lot will be similar at first, the end result isn't.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this short prologue! Just know that with my exams coming, I might be a bit slow on updates as I tend to reread everything way too many times before posting.
> 
> Join me on my Twitter [@minmoanie](https://twitter.com/minmoanie) if you want to talk! You can also come and ask me questions on my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/minmoanie) if you want ♡
> 
> Kudos and comments (respectful please) are always appreciated ♡


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on twitter ([@minmoanie](https://twitter.com/minmoanie)) and [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/minmoanie)  
> 

The raven by the door burst into laughter while the prince gaped at the silver-haired creature, not quite sure he had heard well.

“You can laugh all you want, this is the only way you’ll get one of us to ever save your life,” said Jimin, glaring at Jihoon before focusing his attention back to the prince. “If you don’t believe it, it’s not my problem, it’s your life that’s at stake after all, not mine.”

“You know we could just kill you and get another mermaid, right?” pointed out Jihoon.

“So?” the merman cocked an eyebrow, folding his arms over his chest.

That’s when he noticed that something was missing. He looked down at his upper body and arms before looking back up at the two humans, baring his sharp teeth again with a snarl. Both of them took a step back, taken aback by the sudden hostility he was showing.

“Where is my jewellery?” he asked with a growl.

“Jewellery?” frowned the prince, looking sideways at Jihoon, not knowing what the merman was talking about. He noticed how the the black-haired guard suddenly seemed nervous, his eyes looking everywhere but at the brunet or the sea creature. “Jihoon, do you know what he’s talking about?” he asked, turning his back to the merman to face the guard.

“Of course he does, he’s part of those who caught me,” growled Jimin.

The prince heard a thump behind him but didn’t pay much attention to it, his eyes set on the raven. Said man sighed with a faint shrug of his shoulders.

“It was just jewellery, he doesn’t need it here,” he explained, looking away.

“I swear to the gods you’re just asking to be killed.”

The prince startled, looking down to his left to see the merman crawling next to him, faster than one would have thought he could be on the ground like this, only using his arms to move.

Before the brunet could even react, Jimin had Jihoon pinned to the ground, hovering over him, his sharp teeth dangerously close to his neck. The guard tried to get away from the other, kicking around with his legs, but it was impossible. He had noticed it earlier, mermen were heavy, most likely because of their long tails, and there was no way he’d be able to push him off.

“I don’t see where’s the problem,” he managed to utter, he had a hard time breathing with the pressure the other applied on him.

“It isn’t just jewellery to me, get it?” retorted Jimin as he grabbed the other’s throat, his claws scraping at the man’s skin before slowly digging into the flesh. “You better get everything back to me or I swear, you _will_ regret it.”

“We will get them back, don’t worry about that,” intervened the prince, noticing the way his guard’s face was slowly changing colour, blood dripping down the merman’s fingers.

Jimin turned his head around to look at the prince, a frown etching itself between his eyebrows. There was something in the man that disturbed him, but seeing the honesty in the other’s purple eyes, he decided to let go of the raven, although not without giving a last, warning squeeze to his throat.

He moved off Jihoon, his eyes not leaving the prince for a second. He was hiding something, Jimin was pretty sure of that. He couldn’t tell what it was, but he was certain the prince had a secret.

“Now, let me take you to some other place, you need water,” sighed the prince, relieved to see the merman showing some sort of cooperation.

“Not until I get my jewellery back.”

“I can bring it to you there,” frowned the brunet.

“I don’t believe you, you might just take me to a place worse than this one. Humans can’t be trusted,” retorted Jimin, crawling back into the cell.

He could feel how his tail and arms were throbbing in pain, but he just couldn’t let himself be taken to a place worse than this one, at least here he had the comforting sound of the waves, he knew the sea, his home, wasn’t far.

Jimin had heard stories about mermaids being fooled by humans before, he wouldn’t be one of those. Surviving was all that mattered at the moment, no matter the cost. The plan was simple, really; he would at some point let the prince believe that he had a chance with him so he would be able to at least get out of the cell and get a better place. However, that wouldn’t happen until the prince had proved his worth. Bringing him his jewellery back would be a good enough start.

He sighed, leaning against the wall behind him with a wince. He actually needed water in order to heal properly, but he just couldn’t put aside his hatred for the human nature. He was giving hope to the prince by telling him that he had a chance to survive by making him fall in love with him, but there was no way Jimin would fall for a human being. They were filthy, greedy creatures, they had hunted his people down for centuries, tortured them, massacred them. This hatred deeply rooted in his heart was old, it went back to generations before his.

“I will bring your jewellery back, I promise,” said the prince, slightly bowing before the merman.

Jimin quirked up an eyebrow in surprise at the gesture, since when did princes bow in front of anyone? No matter how little it was, the gesture was there and it was very unusual coming from a royal.

“And I will send someone to check your injuries, your tail needs to be treated as soon as possible.”

On those words the brunet walked out of the cell, disappearing in the dimly lit hall. Jimin scoffed, folding his arms once again. He still couldn’t believe he had been reckless enough to get caught by humans.

“You better not try to play him, you’d lose your head.”

He looked up at Jihoon. He had closed the cell door but he was still there, staring at him.

“We are monsters to you, but you are to humans too, don’t forget that. We know what a mermaid’s voice can do to other creatures, there are enough stories about it to be sure of this at least,” continued the black-haired human, scrunching up his nose in disgust.

Jimin didn’t reply, only staring defiantly back at the other.

“You also should think carefully about what you’ll do next.”

The merman only snorted.

“If the prince dies, you won’t like the outcome. His uncle will be the heir then, the king and the queen don’t have any other child. But that man… Trust me when I tell you that he has other plans for merpeople. You definitely want to think about your people’s safety before taking any rash decision,” smirked the raven.

Jimin froze, his eyes widening.

“You really would have to deal with a monster then,” he ended, waving his hand as he walked away, leaving Jimin alone.

The merman could feel a sob bubbling up his chest and tears burning at the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill at any moment, as the situation dawned upon him. He let his body slide down the wall to the side, lying on the cold, cobblestoned ground, burying his face in his hands as he bit down on his lower lip.

Maybe he didn’t always feel at home among merpeople, but he still came from there, and he still had a few close friends there. Never would he wish death, or whatever the prince’s uncle had in mind, on them. But honestly, how was he supposed to keep anyone safe when he knew that his hatred for humans could get in the way? That his despise for his own kind could get in the way? The prince had to live, that was unquestionable, but he knew how everything worked. A mermaid really had to be in love with the other to be able to save them, it had to be genuine feelings, faking them would only make things turn out ugly.

He closed his eyes, groaning in pain and despair. Never had he thought he would have to sacrifice himself and everything he believed in to save the people who despised him for his nature, people who, maybe, didn't deserve any saving.

 

* * *

 

He was woken up by a hand warily touching his shoulder, slightly shaking him. His eyes snapped open when he remembered where he was and he pushed away the person, hissing threateningly.

“It’s only me.”

He looked up at the other’s face and finally noticed that it actually was the prince. He had a small canvas bag in his hands and a faint smile adorned his lips as he locked eyes with the merman.

“I told you I would get them back,” he said, holding out the bag to him.

Jimin quickly snatched it away from the other’s hands and opened it, sighing in relief when he saw his jewellery.

“I see no one dared to come down here to take care of you though,” said the prince, seemingly disappointed by that.

“Humans are stupid, what did you expect?” he muttered, slowly putting on each piece of jewellery.

“We’re not that bad,” chuckled the brunet.

“You’ll have to prove it then,” retorted the other, putting the last silver armband on his left bicep.

The prince didn’t answer and Jimin couldn’t care less, he wasn’t even bothered by how the other seemed to stare at him so intensely. He knew all this jewellery would raise questions, some was traditional, everybody wore them back home, but other merfolk didn’t wear as much as he did. They were needed, though, he didn’t wear them as simple ornaments. Being born half-witch didn’t only bring perks such as wielding magic, the truth was that Jimin didn’t always have control of his magic, he hadn’t learnt to use it like any other sea witch would. His father had taken him away from his mother when he was still young, it was only after several decades that he had finally been able to go back and learn how to wield magic, but even then, his body wasn’t made to contain so much power, therefore the jewellery.

He carefully looked over his body, checking that nothing was missing. He finally put a silver chain around his waist, it had an elegantly tear-carved sapphire stone that dangled in the middle, right at his bellybutton.

“What are these for?” asked the prince, curiously staring at all the pieces of jewellery covering the merman’s upper body.

“Maybe I’ll tell you someday,” replied Jimin with a shrug, looking down at his tail now.

“Would you let me take you to another room now? It’s far better than this place,” said the brunet.

The silver-haired merman pondered for a while, although he knew he shouldn’t hesitate too much about it. He needed water, and the prince had told him he would put him in some, so just for this once he guessed he’d have to push his mistrust for humans aside and go with the prince.

“How would you take me there though?” he frowned, now thinking about another issue: he was heavy for humans.

“Don’t worry about that,” smiled the prince. “Though I want to know something first.”

Jimin’s eyebrows knitted together.

“Your name,” continued the man.

“I don’t know yours though,” replied the merman after a moment.

“Jungkook,” directly answered the prince, crouching in front of the other. “Now, what about yours?” he asked.

The merman sighed heavily, although he couldn’t stop a smile from slightly creeping onto his face as he noticed the eagerness in the other’s eyes, it seemed so innocent, so childlike. It was different from the way he had looked at Jihoon, different from the way he presented himself when the other human was around. He looked much younger like this, maybe more like his age.

“Jimin,” he finally whispered, looking away, not liking where his thoughts were going.

“Well then, Jimin, let’s take you to a better place, shall we?” said Jungkook, taking the merman in his arms, getting up on his feet once he had secured his grasp on Jimin’s still slightly wet body.

The merman immediately wound his arms around the prince’s neck, gaping at him. He had not expected him to pick him up like that. Where did that strength come from? There definitely was something the other hid, never had Jimin heard of humans being capable of such strength, he would normally be crushed under his weight right now, he knew it, Jihoon hadn’t managed to push him off after all.

He stared at Jungkook’s face as he walked down the hall to a staircase. He might have hated human beings, but this man right here, made him curious, he wanted to know more about him. Jungkook was familiar, his looks, his behaviour, at least from what the merman had witnessed so far… It made no sense, but he reminded Jimin of someone he used to know a long time ago, which was ridiculous, because that person was dead, Jimin had seen him wither away right in front of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jimin is slightly confused to say the least, haha.
> 
> Join me on my Twitter [@minmoanie](https://twitter.com/minmoanie) if you want to talk! You can also come and ask me questions on my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/minmoanie) if you want ♡
> 
> Kudos and comments (respectful please) are always appreciated ♡


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on twitter ([@minmoanie](https://twitter.com/minmoanie)) and [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/minmoanie)  
> 

Jimin flipped upside down, staring at the prince who was sitting just at the edge of the water, his legs crossed. Jimin was currently swimming in a swimming pool filled with seawater, the room, which seemed to have been created with the purpose of hosting a sea creature, located in one of the palace’s towers. He could look through the windows and see what was outside the palace if he wanted, but right now he was more focused on Jungkook who didn’t tear his eyes away from him.

They hadn’t spoken more after leaving the cell, Jimin hadn’t at least. The prince had tried to talk some more, but Jimin couldn’t make himself answer him, he didn’t want to anyway. Maybe the other intrigued him, but that didn’t mean he was ready to trust a human, he probably never would be ready for such a thing.

Swimming up to the surface, he locked eyes with the brunet.

“You have gills,” said the prince, finally noticing how the other’s appearance had slightly changed when he had entered the seawater.

Jimin scoffed, crossing his arms. “Of course, that’s the only way I can breathe underwater,” he explained. “They just seem to disappear when I’m on dry land.”

Jungkook hummed in response, his stare now set upon the water that slightly rippled around the merman. The movements of his tail were so subtle that he could barely see them. Jimin truly did look better now that he was in seawater, his wounds had already fully healed, although Jungkook wasn’t sure if that was only due to the water. He had noticed the tattoo in the other’s back, and never had he ever heard of merpeople having tattoos. Maybe it meant something more, the same way his eyes did. Although he couldn’t be one hundred percent sure, he could already tell that his knowledge of mermaids was very limited.

“You know, you shouldn’t stay here,” said Jimin.

“Why?” frowned the prince, locking eyes with him again.

“I could easily drown you now that I’m back into seawater,” smirked the merman, running his left hand through his silver hair.

Jungkook only stared at him with an eyebrow raised questioningly, wondering if the other truly meant what he said. Would he really try to drown him? He knew that if Jimin wanted, he could start singing and compel him to do whatever he wanted, but the brunet didn’t think the other would do something that reckless. His life was at stake here, just like Jungkook’s, if he tried to harm the prince in any way, he would be punished, and if Jungkook were to die at Jimin’s hand, then the merman would definitely be executed.

“But I’m not stupid, I know you’re the only reason I’m still alive,” sighed the silver-haired creature, turning his back to the prince.

He swam to the other edge of the pool and looked outside the window, discovering for the first time what the human world looked like. What he saw from the sea didn’t let him know much, but now that he was in the palace, he could perfectly see how the world didn’t seem to have changed much. He had never seen the human world with his own eyes, but his people had stories about how it used to look like, as well as engravings in some of the caves that clearly portrayed it.

“You’ve never been on the dry land before?” asked Jungkook, his eyes set on Jimin’s tattoo.

He had noticed how the merman had slightly pushed himself up on the edge of the swimming pool, right in front the floor-to-ceiling window, to stare outside. Jimin looked like a child who discovered something for the very first time, his eyes sparkling with newfound curiosity.

The merman let go of the edge quickly, now only noticing how eager he must have appeared to discover the outside world. He didn’t turn around to face the prince, his gaze set on his tail that slowly waved underwater. He could feel his ears warming up as his embarrassment grew.

“No, I’ve spent my whole life in my kingdom,” he mumbled in response, noticing how the room was getting darker, the sun setting over the horizon.

“Would you like to go to the city sometime?”

Jimin was about to answer he couldn’t in his current state when it dawned upon him that if he said that, it would only mean that he wanted to, that he had an interest in the human world. He indeed had one, but he couldn’t let the prince know that, he couldn’t let anyone discover it.

Among merpeople he was known for his hatred of the humankind. Surprisingly enough, not many still hated humans that much and he had no idea why. It seemed as if they had slowly forgiven human beings for what they had done in the past, they told him to let it go, but he had lost too many of his loved ones to humans. He still wasn’t even completely over the last time, so he couldn’t quite find it in his heart to forgive people who had slaughtered so many of his kind.

“No,” he decided to shortly reply.

Jungkook shook his head with a sigh and shrugged in defeat. He knew what the other was doing, he knew that Jimin just didn’t want to admit that there actually was something in the human world that had triggered his attention. The prince had no idea what had happened to the merman, but he guessed humans were somehow responsible, thus he couldn’t push him too much, it would only weaken his chances to win him over and be saved. He could very well guess, though, that it was because of the hunts. Merpeople had spent centuries fighting or fleeing humans, merfolk had slowly been forgotten by now, but the memory still lingered in the older generation of humans, which explained why so many still didn’t dare go back to the sea, even after years of peace.

“I know you hate humans, but don’t you think we might have changed?” asked Jungkook, scratching the back of his head.

“‘ _Might_ ’ is the keyword here, I don’t think any of you changed, you’re just better at hiding your true intentions,” retorted Jimin, turning around to lock eyes with the other. “I mean, look at me, you captured me. You were _hunting_ for a mermaid.”

The prince only hummed in response, slowly standing up. He didn’t respond, knowing that the other was only stating the truth. His plan wasn’t to kill Jimin, Jungkook found merpeople too fascinating for that, but he still had sent his guard to hunt.

“I’d have appreciated you joining me and my family for dinner, but if you can’t change form I guess this won’t be possible,” he said instead, smoothing his shirt with his fingertips.

Jimin didn’t answer, only biting his bottom lip in order to hold back a scathing remark. He had to control his mouth if he wanted to keep his head.

“My parents don’t know about you yet and I will keep it that way as long as I can,” continued the prince.

“Why?” frowned the merman, tilting his head to the side.

“The lesser people know about you, the better. Servants won’t talk about you so you don’t need to worry about those who’ll come here,” replied Jungkook, walking away. “Someone will bring you food, just don’t scare them off with your teeth.”

Jimin snorted, the idea awfully tempting to him. He waved his hand dismissively to the prince before diving into the water. Something bothered him as he swam around the pool, humming softly underwater. The prince was supposed to be sick _– deadly sick –_ from what he had understood. The doctors had told him they had tried everything they knew and couldn’t cure him, but Jimin hadn’t noticed even a hint of a disease in the other. He was strong, stronger than a normal human being, his complexion was healthy-looking too, he didn’t appear to be sickly pale. The merman would have normally never believed a human in this case, but there was something in Jungkook’s eyes that made Jimin doubt his own convictions, if he were to be honest. Those purple eyes, although they sparkled with some sort of amusement and life, held desperation. The brunet was this close to giving up, the merman could see it. Jimin considered human beings to be two-faced, self-centered people, but he wasn’t so sure about it anymore, not after meeting the prince.

“You shouldn’t even think about him,” he murmured, running his left hand over his face.

As time went by, a scowl twisted Jimin’s face. He couldn’t make up his mind, he didn’t know whether he was ready to help or not, although he didn’t quite have a choice. He definitely was curious, it was what had brought him here after all, getting near the coast had come out of a whim and his curiosity to see more had made him stay longer than he should have. But letting a human prince in… That was something else. He wanted to know more about Jungkook, to know why he looked so much like someone Jimin used to know, but to know more about him he would have to open himself up.

A knock on the door made Jimin dive back into the water in surprise. He slowly peaked over the edge of the swimming pool and observed the person that had just got in. His shining, blue eyes didn’t leave the girl’s figure as she warily approached the pool with a tray in her hands.

“My prince apologises, he doesn’t know what your people eat,” she said, looking away from the piercing orbs.

She put down the tray of food in front of him and quickly took a few steps back, bowing slightly, before getting out of the room without even letting him say a word. Jimin cocked an eyebrow but ended up ignoring the human girl’s behaviour. It probably wasn’t very often that humans were faced with creatures like him, he had already noticed the lack of knowledge about merfolk with Jihoon and Jungkook.

He looked at the food and frowned, he had no idea what it was. How was he supposed to eat something he’d never seen? How was he even supposed to believe that it wasn’t a trick to poison him or something of the like? He usually ate fish and some plants, but he couldn’t deny that what was in front of him smelled good.

He looked up towards the door again when he heard it open, although this time it was a familiar face that appeared.

“They only came now or you didn’t eat yet?” asked Jungkook, noticing the tray still untouched.

“I don’t know how to eat that,” mumbled the merman, hoping the other hadn’t heard him.

The prince stared at Jimin, dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected such an answer. He didn’t know what merpeople ate, but he thought that they would at least have something similar to cutlery.

“Don’t get me wrong, I know what these are,” said Jimin, picking up the fork and the knife that had been left untouched until then. “I’ve just never really used cutlery,” he sighed, putting them down.

“What do you usually eat then? And how? You can’t just swallow things like that,” frowned Jungkook, sitting opposite the sea creature.

“I’ve these teeth for a reason,” groaned Jimin, looking away as he pointed at his mouth.

The brunet didn’t reply anything, noticing that there was something about his nature that Jimin seemed to truly dislike. He couldn’t tell what it was, but he already knew that it would take time and work to get him to open up even the slightest. He was the worst he could find after all, wasn’t he? That’s what he had told Jungkook earlier.

“It’s not complicated,” ended up saying Jungkook, grabbing the cutlery. “You need to hold them this way, and then it just comes naturally,” he continued, showing the other how to cut the meat.

He noticed how Jimin observed his every move, but he preferred not to raise it. He already had figured out that all this was new to the silver-haired sea creature, so if he had to teach him how things worked in this world, he would. This way he would also get to know him, maybe.

He held out the fork to the other, offering the man a piece of meat.

“I guess you’ve never had lamb before if you’ve never been on the dry land,” said Jungkook, watching as Jimin only eyed the meat warily.

He sighed and took a bite of it, showing the merman there was nothing to worry about. He also took a bite of the vegetables, just to further prove his point, and directly noticed how the wariness was slowly fading from Jimin’s eyes.

“It’s just meat and vegetables, Jimin,” he said with a reassuring smile before focusing back on the plate.

He cut another piece of the meat, holding out the fork to the merman again. He watched as Jimin hesitantly parted his lips, eyes set on the meat before glancing up at Jungkook. The prince nodded in encouragement, holding back the grin that was threatening to stretch his lips when Jimin closed his lips around the fork. He waited for his reaction as Jimin chewed on the piece of meat, noticing how his nose slightly scrunched up as he discovered the taste and the texture.

“This tastes even better than I thought,” finally uttered Jimin after swallowing, his eyes widening as he noticed what he had said.

“Good, I’m glad you at least like something from here,” quickly said the prince, not wanting the other to have the chance to take back what he had just said, and this time he didn’t refrain from smiling.

Jimin huffed and snatched the cutlery from the other’s hands, trying to cut the meat the same way Jungkook had. He definitely would need to practice a bit, but he would manage for now.

“How are you going to sleep though?” asked Jungkook, remembering why he had come here after dinner in the first place.

Jimin froze, looking at his plate that was now empty. The other things on the plate were vegetables as Jungkook had explained to him, which pretty much corresponded to the plants he ate in the sea. So far, he had to admit that eating something warm had been a surprise, but a good one, and he couldn’t deny the fact that the food tasted amazing. With only this, he maybe would come to believe some of the rumours that spread through merpeople. Maybe some of them really had gone to the dry land to live.

“Don’t bother about that,” he finally replied, putting down the cutlery and swimming away from Jungkook, setting some distance between them. “You should go, the moon is already high in the sky, it must be late for humans. Moreover, aren’t you sick? You should rest, it’s not lie I’m going anywhere.”

Jungkook slightly gaped at the sea creature that was turning his back to him at the moment. Was he just trying to get rid of him, or was he truly worried about his health? He doubted it was the latter, there was still this wariness in the other’s moves and eyes, there was no way he could feel anything but despise for humans right now. He was still a prisoner after all, no matter how Jungkook had tried to make it comfortable for the other with this room and the swimming pool filled with seawater, Jimin wasn’t considered a guest, not yet at least.

“I’ll come tomorrow morning then,” he said, standing up, taking the tray with him at the same time. “Good night, Jimin.”

“Good night…” whispered Jimin, disappearing underwater.

 

* * *

 

Jimin twisted one of his bracelets, hoping that not being in the sea wouldn’t affect what he was trying to do. He knew there was no way he would be able to contact his mother, she had left just two days ago to find some rare ingredients in another realm, so even if he were in the sea she would be out of reach. However, he could still try to send a message to Hoseok, their bond had to be strong enough to at least let his best friend know that he was alive; gone, but alive. Jimin couldn’t feel the other, but he hoped that Hoseok would feel the slight tug on their bond as he kept on playing with the bracelet. If he could at least let him and Namjoon know that he wasn’t dead, that would be enough. He didn’t want them to worry about his fate too much.

He raised his wrist to his mouth, kissing the now-glowing aquamarine. “Just don’t come here, please,” he whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jimin will have to learn a lot, not gonna lie, from using cutlery to trusting people and letting them in.
> 
> Join me on my Twitter [@minmoanie](https://twitter.com/minmoanie) if you want to talk! You can also come and ask me questions on my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/minmoanie) if you want ♡
> 
> Kudos and comments (respectful please) are always appreciated ♡


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on twitter ([@minmoanie](https://twitter.com/minmoanie)) and [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/minmoanie)  
> 

Three weeks. Jimin had a hard time believing it, but it had already been three weeks since his capture. Had his situation changed? Not so much. He was still in the same room, seeing the same faces every day. None of the servants dared talk to him, they would come in the room, trying to make as little noise as possible, set the tray of food down near the edge of the pool, avoiding the merman’s eyes, and then they would quickly leave. There was one exception among them, but the girl still didn’t dare talk to him, she just wasn’t afraid to look at him, which he guessed was an improvement. Most of the time Jungkook would visit while Jimin ate and they would talk, he basically was the only person Jimin had contact with.

During the past three weeks he had gotten to know more about Jungkook. They both had talked about their childhood, Jungkook more than Jimin, as well as how things had changed for the both of them once they had reached a certain age. Jungkook had been spoiled as a child, especially because he was an only child. His mother had doted on him for as long as she could before the boy became too old for that. When he had celebrated his fifteenth birthday, the age at which he was supposed to start focusing on his studies more as well as assist the king in meetings with the council and foreign envoys, his disease broke out. Jimin had stopped Jungkook from going into the details, not quite sure he wanted to hear about how a mere child had discovered that he was doomed to die of an unknown disease. Jungkook had simply laughed and replied that he wasn’t really a child anymore at that age, but for Jimin he was, for a merman, fifteen was so _so_ young.

Despite that feeling, getting to know all this about Jungkook didn’t necessarily mean that Jimin trusted him. Admittedly, the merman had taken a liking to the prince, especially when he recounted, his purple eyes gleaming with mischief, the times he had pranked a certain Min Yoongi, a royal advisor’s son. But Jimin hated how it had gotten to him, hated how the look in Jungkook’s eyes and his big bunny smile had made him want to coo at him. He couldn’t deny that there was something about Jungkook that made him curious, besides his obvious and uncanny resemblance to someone from the merman’s past, but at the same time he wasn’t quite sure what to think, after all he still had the feeling that the prince was hiding something.

Swimming to the window, Jimin crossed his arms over the edge of the swimming pool, looking outside. He wasn’t sure what time it was, it had been raining for what seemed to be hours, the sky covered with black clouds. What he knew, however, was that Jungkook was late. The prince would usually come in the morning and in the afternoon to talk, and sometimes he would also come in the evening, although that was quite occasional. Today, however, the brunet hadn’t come yet.

Now that Jimin thought about it, the servant was late too. He maybe didn’t know what time it was, but he usually never got hungry, which he was right now. Servants always came at the same time so he had gotten used to eating at certain hours.

He groaned at the thought, realising that it felt like he was treated like a pet; there for the prince’s enjoyment only.

He turned around when he heard the doors opening, slightly smiling despite himself and already swimming towards the other side of the pool to meet the newcomer. He stopped himself when he realised he wasn’t met with the usual sight of the prince. Instead a man he had never seen before came in, carrying a tray of food. Jimin frowned, not quite sure who he was. Jungkook had told him that he had seen all the people who could come in the room, so who was this man?

“My my, so this is what Jungkook’s been hiding,” chuckled the stranger, crouching down to set down the tray on the floor, near the edge of the pool.

Jimin slowly swam away, looking warily at the other, not wanting to be close to him. He had a bad feeling. The man was tall, actually taller than Jungkook if Jimin remembered well how tall the prince was. Short, blond hair framed a face that seemed to have been carved by the gods themselves. His rosy lips were stretched into a smirk, deep brown eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief as he didn’t let the merman out of his sight.

“Where’s Jungkook?” asked Jimin.

The other rolled his eyes, a hand on his hip.

“Who knows?” hummed the blond.

Jimin stared at the stranger for a few seconds before shaking his head with a sigh. He dove into the water, splashing him on purpose. As far as he was concerned, he didn’t need to talk to the man if he didn’t want to. He would normally have sung and made the other leave, but he had promised Jungkook not to use his voice, and of course his damn pride didn’t let him break that promise. He just hoped the blond would get the message and actually walk out of the room.

“I won’t leave,” said the other, his voice muffled as Jimin was still underwater.

The merman groaned, rolling his eyes. Why were humans so stubborn? Jungkook was like that too. Sometimes Jimin just wasn’t in the mood to talk or to listen to someone, but when that happened Jungkook would just sit there, smiling mysteriously. In the end Jimin would get so annoyed that he would swim up to the surface to yell at the prince, but the brunet would just burst into laughter, and that laughter would make the merman lose it too, both then being lost in a laughing fit. Jungkook’s laugh was contagious, something Jimin had caught on quite fast as the prince kept on visiting him.

The merman swam to the surface and sighed when he noticed the blond’s smirk turn even more wicked. What was the matter with him?

“What do you want?” groaned Jimin, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You,” replied the stranger, kneeling down to be closer to the merman’s level.

Jimin frowned, not quite sure what that meant.

“I want to know why you’re here.”

“I don’t need to answer that, you don’t even have the right to be here,” retorted the merman. “Jungkook told me who could come in, and you’re not among these people.”

“How would you know that? You haven’t been out of your pool as far as I know,” said the man, his eyebrows slowly knitting together.

“So? It doesn’t mean I’m not aware of what’s going on.”

“Is that so? From what I can see you have no idea who I am though, and I’m important to Jungkook,” responded the other, his eyes gleaming with some sort of pride, although the merman didn’t quite understand it.

“Important? How come I’ve never heard of you then? He never described anyone like you before, I’ve no idea who you are. And he didn’t tell you why I’m here either, so that must mean that he doesn’t trust you all that much,” replied Jimin, smirking as he noticed the disbelief on the other’s face.

“I’m sure he mentioned me at least once.”

“Not at all, we talk a lot and you never came up even once in our conversations.”

The blond quickly stood up, glaring at the sea creature. “You’ve no idea what you’re talking about,” he groaned.

Jimin only cocked an eyebrow in response.

“I’m Taehyung, I’m the one healing him, he must have talked about me. Without me he would be dead already,” he continued.

Jimin stared blankly at the other, not knowing what to think about what he had just said. Healing Jungkook? What did the other mean by that? Jungkook had told Jimin that he was his last hope, that nothing had worked for him. If there was indeed no cure, why would this man say he actually was helping the prince?

Jimin sighed, shaking his head. He knew Jungkook was hiding something, he had had that feeling since the very beginning. He didn’t expect it to be a person, but in the end he wasn’t really surprised. Mystified maybe, but not surprised. After all, why did the prince need him if he already had someone?

“I’ve no idea who you are, now get out,” sighed Jimin, turning his back to the other.

“You can’t order me around,” huffed Taehyung.

“Indeed, I can’t, but I think you know very well what mermaids can do, so if you don’t obey I’ll just make you,” retorted the merman, glaring at the other over his shoulder.

“I’m a witch, you won’t scare me that easily,” said the blond, smiling smugly. “I could make this water boiling hot in the blink of an eye, you wouldn’t look this good afterwards.”

The merman turned around, smirking.

“ _Try me_ ,” he shot back defiantly.

Taehyung gaped at him for a split second before regaining his composure. His eyes turned golden for a moment, Jimin immediately recognising there that he truly had been blessed with magic, and he snapped his fingers, staring in the merman’s blue eyes. As time went by, his smugness slowly faltered, letting place to disbelief.

“If you had done a little research on witches, Taehyung, you’d know what this means,” Jimin said, pointing at the tattoo in his back. “Witches don’t only live on dry land.”

Taehyung ran his hand over his face, groaning in frustration.

“No matter what, you’re still just a toy to Jungkook,” he said before turning on his heels, his silky robes swishing on the ground. “He can hide whatever he wants from you as long as you’re stuck in this swimming pool, you have no idea what you got yourself into,” he ended, glancing one last time at Jimin before leaving.

Taehyung obviously wasn’t telling Jimin anything new, but it made him wonder what Jungkook really was up to. There must have been a hidden motive for him to keep Jimin here, something that had nothing to do with his illness, but what could that even be? From what he knew about the brunet so far, Jimin had a hard time coming up with something. Sure, there was the matter of his safety, but now that Jimin thought about it, Jungkook had stopped asking if he had a human form after just a few days.

The merman sighed, running a hand through his hair. No matter what, he knew Jungkook was still ill, he could see it in his eyes. His body language maybe didn’t show any signs of illness, Jungkook might have been a pretty good liar, but eyes were the windows to the soul, and his showed it all; he was on the brink of death.

Jimin looked at the food, but he had lost his appetite, even the smell didn’t make him want to eat.

“Last hope, my arse,” he groaned, glaring at the doors.

He couldn’t believe he had actually come to trusting Jungkook. He knew he couldn’t have faith in humans, yet he had let his guard down, slowly letting the prince in. He wanted to blame it on how familiar Jungkook was to him, but he knew it was just an excuse, a way to try and take the responsibility off his back and pin it on the prince.

He stared down at his tail, sighing. Taehyung was right, as long as he stayed in this room he wouldn’t know what was truly going on. He was trapped in this form. He didn’t want to have legs, in his eyes it meant leaving a part of him behind, betraying who he was, but if he didn’t do this, he would never know what the prince really was up to. He glanced at the doors, another groan leaving his lips when he realised Jungkook hadn’t told him how he could call a servant in case he needed one. He thought about how he would use magic back in his realm, tapping his fingers on the ground.

“Doesn’t hurt to try,” he muttered, watching how each drop of water that fell from his fingers to the ground sparked as he focused his magic in them.

He closed his eyes, focusing on Hyorin, one of the servants who served him the most, muttering a short spell that should grab her attention. To his surprise, it didn’t take long for her to arrive, bowing the moment the doors closed behind her. She was the only one who managed to look at him without cowering away.

“Is there something I can do?” she asked.

“I need a robe,” he answered.

“A robe?” she frowned, confusion written all over her face.

“Don’t question it, just bring me one,” he snapped.

She startled at the tone he used, looking away for a second, and nodded, bowing once again before rushing out of the room.

“I thought servants didn’t question orders,” he groaned diving underwater.

He leant against a side of the pool in the left corner, near the window, and closed his eyes.

 

* * *

 

“I don’t think the prince would be too happy with this.”

“Jungkook won’t know I got involved, Hyorin, just give this robe to him,” sighed Taehyung, handing her a silky, white robe. “He will need it.”

The witch grinned when the servant gave in with a sigh, taking the folded robe from his hands.

Honestly, Taehyung hadn’t thought that his visit would make the merman consider taking a human form. As much as he wasn’t pleased with the merman’s presence in the castle, he also would rather have him know what he truly had gotten himself into. Nobody deserved to be used that way, especially not another witch. Taehyung knew what it was like to be the odd one in a court filled with humans, he knew what it was like to have people fight over him, wanting to make him theirs so they could use his powers to their own benefit, among other things. However, that was nothing compared to what would happen if people discovered that the silver-haired newcomer was a merman. His visit had been spurred by pure self-interest in the first place, but the moment he had discovered the other was also a witch... It changed everything to him, although he couldn't let anyone, besides Hyorin, know. Taehyung had a reputation at court, one that even Jungkook had ended up slowly believing in, so he couldn't be caught helping someone who might threaten his position.

He looked around before leaning forward, towards the servant girl.

“Hyorin, I count on you to help him,” he whispered. “You and I both know what it’s like to be coveted by humans, and I think we can both agree it would be even worse for him.”

She nodded, nibbling at her lower lip. “If what you think is really true… Shouldn’t we try to help him get away?”

“Jungkook got him here, so as much as I’d love to get one of my sisters out of here, we can’t, we would go against a _prince’s_ decision,” replied Taehyung, leaning away. “Now go, I’ve the feeling he doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

Hyorin bowed shortly before hurrying away, her eyes checking one last time that nobody had witnessed their interaction. Taehyung leant back on the doors to his chambers, running a hand through his hair. He had a bad feeling, but he couldn’t tell what it was exactly. All he could do was hope that it had nothing to do with Jungkook’s health.

 

* * *

 

Jimin woke up with a start, slightly disoriented. He didn’t think he would actually fall asleep. He hadn’t let his guard down since he had arrived here as he didn’t know what could happen to him, always sleeping with one eye open. But maybe his lack of sleep had finally caught up with him.

He swam up to the surface and ran his fingers through his hair. He noticed that the tray of food was gone and had been replaced by another tray with a nicely folded, silky, white robe on top of it. He hauled himself out of the water and sat on the edge of the pool. He looked towards the window and noticed that the clouds were gone and had let place to the sunset, the room being filled with the warm sunlight.

He crawled back a bit, hauling his tail out of the water with a grunt, and sighed. He really hoped it would work.

He dragged his nails over his scales with a hiss, drawing some blood, and started to murmur a spell in his own language. He wasn’t even sure he knew it completely, he had never really paid attention when his mother taught him this kind of spells, believing he would never have to use them. He knew that merpeople didn’t even need a spell to have legs, but he had no idea how it worked, and from what he remembered, his mother had told him that it didn’t apply to him as he was only half-merman.

Excruciating pain shot through his whole body as he finished chanting, making him fall on his back. It felt like he was being cut in half. If that’s what it meant to become human, he preferred not to. There was no way someone could go through that. He bit his bottom lip, hissing through gritted teeth, and rolled on the ground. He looked up at the ceiling, his world spinning around him as his back arched off the floor, before everything turned black.

Jimin came round when the moon shone in the sky, the sun having completely disappeared over the horizon. Sitting up, he frowned as he felt his body being way lighter than usual. He looked down and gaped at his body; his tail was gone and had been replaced by legs.

He crawled to the edge of the pool, or more like dragged himself there with his arms, to grab the robe to cover himself. He slowly sat back on his heels, struggling a bit to keep his balance, and put on the robe, surprised by how soft it was. He tied the belt around his small waist and crouched, or at least tried to. How was he supposed to keep his balance without water surrounding him? He had no idea how he would stand up, he didn’t even know how it was possible, his legs looked too thin to be able to support his weight. He could stay in this position only because he used his hands to support himself on the ground, without that support he knew he would fall.

He looked around, wondering what could help him to stand. There was no furniture around, not even a chair. Jungkook always sat on the ground to be at Jimin’s level, or at least not to tower over him.

Jimin sighed and decided to crawl to one of the walls.

After many failed attempts to stand up and take a few steps, which ended up with him falling each time he even slightly tried to lift a foot, bruises already forming all over his legs, he finally managed to take two steps, this time his legs not wobbling. As he looked up, grinning to himself, feeling quite proud of himself, he locked eyes with surprised, purple orbs. He froze, not quite sure how the other would react.

“You really can become human?”

Jimin glanced away from the prince’s piercing stare. He had no idea whether Jungkook was happy or mad.

“ _Jimin_.”

He flinched as he heard his name. He tried to take a few steps back as he noticed the brunet walking to him, but he lost his footing and fell on the ground. He groaned in pain as he rubbed his lower back.

“How did this happen? You didn’t tell me you could turn into a human,” continued Jungkook.

Jimin gaped at the other, not believing his ears. Did the prince really think that he owed him an explanation?

“So what? It’s not like you’ve been telling me everything either, _your highness_ ,” spat Jimin, glaring at the prince.

That’s what he hated about royalty; they always thought everything was owed to them. Sure, he could have told Jungkook that he actually could have legs, but he hadn’t planned on ever using that spell until Taehyung paid him a visit earlier. Jungkook, however, had hid something that was more important in Jimin’s eyes. He had actually lied to him.

“What do you mean?” frowned the brunet.

“You know, the blond beauty that goes around. Taehyung, I think?”

Jungkook’s eyes widened when he registered Jimin’s words.

“He came and kept on talking about how important he is to you, and how he actually is healing you,” continued Jimin, standing back up.

Jimin couldn’t hide the smirk that stretched his plump lips when he noticed how all colour seemed to have drained from Jungkook’s face. He felt smug, finally having some sort of upper hand in this situation.

However there was still something that tug at his heart, and he couldn’t fathom what it was, although it didn’t matter, did it? He dismissed the painful feeling, all that mattered was that he had caught Jungkook in his lie and that he had no way of denying it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand here comes Taehyung! Gosh did I need to finally put him in there, haha. You'll obviously learn a lot more about him in the following chapters, but I think you can maybe already guess certain things?
> 
> Join me on my Twitter [@minmoanie](https://twitter.com/minmoanie) if you want to talk! You can also come and ask me questions on my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/minmoanie) if you want ♡
> 
> Kudos and comments (respectful please) are always appreciated ♡


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on twitter ([@minmoanie](https://twitter.com/minmoanie)) and [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/minmoanie)  
> 

“Taehyung came here?”

Jimin rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. Jungkook seemed to have a hard time understanding that the blond witch had actually paid Jimin a visit. Maybe he thought Taehyung wouldn’t find out about him being here, but he was a witch, keeping secrets from witches was almost impossible, especially if they were close to you, which seemed to be the case for Jungkook and Taehyung.

Jimin understood that something could happen to him if other powerful people found out about him, which was why just a few selected people knew about him, but Taehyung didn’t seem to be an actual threat to him, if anything, the witch had probably felt threatened by Jimin’s presence at court, so what was the point in keeping Jimin a secret from him? At this point, the merman just didn’t understand why he was here. Jungkook didn’t actually need him, not according to Taehyung at least, so what was the point of keeping him here? Why couldn’t Jungkook just set him free?

“Why did he come?” asked the prince, taking a few steps in Jimin’s direction.

“I guess he wanted to see what you’re hiding, he doesn’t seem to appreciate not being the centre of attention,” replied Jimin, glaring at the other. “He then proceeded to explain how important he was to you, how he was the one keeping you alive and how you were manipulating me, keeping me in this room like a prisoner.”

The brunet seemed to be at a loss for words.

“I’ve no idea what you're expecting from me, Jungkook, but if you thought you’d be saved by me, you can forget it. Apparently Taehyung is enough to keep you alive.”

“Jimin…”

“I knew I couldn’t trust humans, and you proved me that just now,” sighed the merman, turning his back to the prince.

It hurt to say it out loud. It hurt to acknowledge that Jungkook had broken Jimin’s trust. But above all, it hurt even more to realise that he really had come to trust the prince, even though he had sworn to never believe a human being.

“Just let me explain,” sighed Jungkook, walking over to face the other.

“Why should I? To let you lie to me even more?” retorted Jimin, gritting his teeth.

“I wasn’t lying!”

Jimin took a step back at the other’s outburst, his eyes widening in shock. He had never seen Jungkook lose his temper, never had the prince ever raised his voice at him. It left a bitter taste in Jimin's mouth, reminding him of how manipulative royals could be. He couldn't help but wonder how much exactly had the prince been keeping from him by having him locked in a room. First Taehyung, what would be next? Maybe Jungkook was nothing like Jimin had come to believe over the past three weeks, maybe he actually was the embodiment of what the merman despised the most in humans and royals.

He warily looked at the brunet when he heard him grunt, sensing the frustration that coursed through the other veins, as well as a hint of desperation.

“It’s true that I didn’t tell you everything,” began Jungkook, running his left hand through his hair in frustration. “But I didn’t lie about my state, I’m really dying.”

Jimin looked away, his damp hair covering his eyes. He had hoped that what his mother had told him about witches wouldn't apply to him, but it did, unfortunately. Witches could sense other people's auras, their emotions. At the moment Jimin's senses were slowly awakening, which left him helpless and slightly annoyed. As much as he didn't want to believe Jungkook, he could sense the honesty rolling off the other's tongue.

“Taehyung does help me, that’s true, but all he does is buy me some time. He can’t actually heal me, no matter which spell he uses. He would have to compromise his integrity as a witch to really cure me, and I can’t ask him to do such a thing,” continued the prince.

“I’m pretty sure there are enough witches out there who would be willing to use those infamous spells to save you, you're the prince after all,” retorted Jimin, still not looking at the other. “Who wouldn’t want to win your favour?”

“But there’s always a price. I’m sure you know witches don’t do anything for free, unless it’s for someone they love,” replied the other, taking another step towards Jimin.

“Then I guess Taehyung doesn’t care about you enough to actually save you, and there’s no way I like you enough to save you,” snorted the merman. “I would be compromising my integrity too, you know.”

Jungkook raised an eyebrow at the other’s words, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him for a second. Had Jimin really said he didn’t like him enough to save him? Did the merman realise that this implied he actually had started liking him? Probably not because he didn’t seem to take his words back, and Jungkook had clearly noticed how a look of panic would always cross Jimin’s face when it dawned upon him that he had uttered a positive comment about the human world. Moreover there was one thing Jimin was adamant about: his hatred for the human kind. The merman despised humans more than anything, Jungkook had witnessed it a few times when a servant would come in. He also had seen this hatred directed toward him, although it had seemed to diminish over the past few weeks, in such a way that the prince had come to hear Jimin laugh a few times, clearly loosening up around Jungkook.

In the beginning he had thought that Jimin was only capable of sulking, which shouldn’t really have surprised him considering Jimin was a prisoner in the palace. However, as time went by, Jungkook had noticed the other smiling here and there, and then, one day, Jimin had burst into laughter. The sound had surprised the prince, never had he ever thought he would hear it one day. After all, each time Jimin smiled, Jungkook was pretty sure the merman thought he wasn’t looking at him. But that laugh… There was no way Jungkook would have missed it, nor would he ever forget it.

He glanced at Jimin, noticing how the other was on the defensive, and how hurt he actually looked, his arms crossed over his chest, fingers clutching the fabric of his white robe. However, no matter how frail the other looked, it was obvious that he was ready to run away if he felt threatened.

Jungkook looked down at his feet with a sigh, remembering the day he had first heard Jimin laugh. As usual, he was visiting the merman in the afternoon. That day he actually was in a better mood than usual because Taehyung had cast a spell on him, making Jungkook feel refreshed, healthy, even though he knew it wouldn’t last long. He had barely opened the door to Jimin’s room that his whole outfit was covered in food, mostly drenched in soup, as Jimin had refused to eat it that day. He remembered how embarrassed the servant had been, how red her face was and how she kept on apologising, trying to find a way to clean Jungkook’s clothes, rubbing a cloth over the prince’s trousers, although she knew it was useless. That was when a warm laugh had echoed in the room. Jungkook had pushed the servant away, his head jerking up to look at Jimin who was laughing uncontrollably in the middle of the pool, disappearing into the water at some point. The reason why Jimin was laughing might have been childish, but the moment the prince had heard that laugh, he knew he’d never get enough of it. That also was the day he had realised his plans weren’t going the way he wanted, but he had decided to push that thought away.

“I know you have no reason to trust me, no reason to trust a human being, but you really are the only person who can save me,” sighed Jungkook, defeated.

He knew he couldn’t push the other. He had made a lot of research on merfolk and their powers since Jimin had been captured, and he now knew the silver-haired sea creature wasn’t lying when he said he had to fall in love with the prince. Merpeople’s magic worked with pure, raw emotions, if a mermaid faked her feelings, it would only worsen the situation. Saving someone on the brink of death apparently could end up with both parties dead if the mermaid’s feelings weren’t real.

“You don’t even know what falling in love truly means to us, Jungkook.”

The prince frowned, not quite sure what the other meant. Wasn’t it like for human beings?

“When we fall in love, it’s for life,” continued Jimin, his blue eyes meeting Jungkook’s. “Humans can apparently fall in love several times in their life, but for us it’s usually only once, maybe twice at most if we live long. I know some who never found their mate, and they’ve been around for over half a millennium, while there are others who found their mate in less than a century.”

The merman raised his hand when he noticed Jungkook was about to speak, gesturing him to not interrupt him. It was a daring move to order a royal that way, but Jimin had never really cared about status, even back at home, so he wouldn’t start now in a world that wasn’t even his.

“Of course we have lovers, but we don’t love them the way we love our mate. In order to save you, I would have to fall for you, hard,” sighed Jimin. “I don’t control those feelings, so I can’t decide to love you, save you and then go back home, that’s not how it works. And I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from falling in love either. The truth is… You might never even find a mermaid that will love you enough for this magic to have an effect.”

There was so much more to their magic, even merpeople didn’t exactly know how it all worked. They knew what they witnessed only, but there were always some sides to magic that were hidden from most people. Jimin perfectly knew it, his mother had made it clear when she had taught him sea witch’s magic. One spell could work differently depending on who was casting it as well as on who the recipient was.

“Do you have a mate?” asked Jungkook, wondering how the other knew so much about this, he didn’t seem old after all.

Jimin slightly smiled, although the prince could clearly tell that it wasn’t out of happiness. The merman seemed crushed.

“Somewhere, I guess I do,” he replied.

“Is it possible for your people to fall in love with humans?”

Jimin turned his back to the brunet and took a few steps towards the pool, looking out the window.

“There are stories,” he answered, rubbing his arms, he felt cold all of a sudden. “But they’re old, we’ve done everything we could to stay away from human beings for so long… Those stories belong to a bygone era, when humans and merfolk lived in peace. For all we know they might not even be true.”

“But it is possible,” insisted Jungkook.

Jimin glanced over his shoulder at the prince for a second, then looked back at the city.

“You don’t choose who you fall in love with.”

The brunet cocked an eyebrow, he had the feeling that Jimin wasn’t telling him something.

“What happens if you outlive your mate?” he dared to ask.

“A part of you dies,” shortly replied the merman.

Jimin brought a hand to his mouth, muffling a sob that was threatening to escape his lips. He didn’t want to let Jungkook know about this side of him, about the pain he tried to bury in the back of his mind and heart. Humans didn’t know what it was like to feel like you were complete only with your mate, and what it was like to lose that person, to lose a part of yourself. They probably went through heartache, but the pain merpeople went through when they lost their beloved… It was something a human being would never fathom, not by being in love with another human at least. Bonds between humans were nothing like bonds between merpeople.

“Humans have soulmates too, you know,” uttered Jungkook, staring at Jimin’s shivering figure. “Maybe it doesn’t affect us the same way it affects your people, but some of us fall in love only once.”

“There are rumours,” whispered Jimin, not paying attention to what Jungkook had just said. “Some of us have been missing for a long time, but considering no ships were around when they disappeared… Some say they might have left the ocean for the dry land willingly, or more specifically for someone on the dry land.”

The prince wasn’t quite sure what to think about this revelation. How was it possible if merfolk tried as much as possible to stay away from humans? Jimin was here only because he had come too close to the coast, otherwise Jungkook was pretty sure it would have been way harder to catch a mermaid, if not impossible. He hadn’t hoped for much when he had sent out that ship after all, he had never thought they would truly catch one of them.

“The problem with having a human mate would be the lifespan,” continued Jimin, walking along the border of the pool, still not looking at the other, his eyes set on his feet. “We live way longer than you, human beings, do. A human mate would mean guaranteed heartbreak, and none of us want that, it would feel like our mate died just when we met him. Merfolk have a different perception of time, years for you can feel like seconds to us,” he explained, spinning on his heels to finally gaze at Jungkook.

The prince gulped at the intensity of the other’s stare, his blue eyes were gleaming, some sort of lighter blue sparks blazing around his slit pupils. Something was going on, the prince just couldn’t figure out what.

“Anyway, this doesn’t change the way I feel about you,” concluded Jimin, his eyes going back to normal.

“I understand,” managed to reply Jungkook, slightly unsettled by what the other had just revealed, this was the first time Jimin spoke so much about his nature, letting Jungkook learn things the prince knew he would never find in books.

He eyed the merman up, frowning slightly. It looked like he could barely stand, his body shaking all over, and just as that thought crossed Jungkook’s mind, Jimin’s legs gave out. The prince barely had enough time to run to catch the other before he hit the floor, himself almost slipping into the pool as he did so.

“You could just have let me fall,” groaned Jimin, trying to push the other away, his legs weakly kicking in the air.

“I’m pretty sure this wouldn’t be your first fall of the day, but I’d rather spare your body more injuries,” retorted the brunet, standing up as he carried the merman in his arms. “I’ll take you to a more appropriate room now that you look human. Once you learn how to walk properly, you’ll be able to go around the palace.”

“Having legs is such a pain in the arse,” grumbled the silver-haired man, crossing his arms over his chest. “They’re just weak.”

Jungkook chuckled at the face the other was making, pouting like a child.

“I think you might actually enjoy it,” said Jungkook, pushing the doors open with his back. “I’ll show you. Once you know everything you can do here, _with legs_ , you might not even want to go back to the ocean.”

Jimin only humphed in response. The conversation had quickly switched to another, more trivial, subject, but the merman still stood his ground; he would never let himself trust the prince again, no matter how much his senses were telling him he was being honest, which meant he would never fall in love with him and therefore would never go back home; he would be trapped in this palace until his death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that Jimin is in his human form things will start moving, he'll start interacting with more people soon enough! (and new characters will be introduced soon too!) His witch's side is also awakening now that he isn't in his merman form anymore, which is definitely gonna make him quite confused.
> 
> Join me on my Twitter [@minmoanie](https://twitter.com/minmoanie) if you want to talk! You can also come and ask me questions on my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/minmoanie) if you want ♡
> 
> Kudos and comments (respectful please) are always appreciated ♡


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on twitter ([@minmoanie](https://twitter.com/minmoanie)) and [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/minmoanie)  
> 

“What the hell were you thinking, going to see Jimin?” growled Jungkook, slamming the doors behind him.

Taehyung looked up from the book on sea creatures he had been reading, watching the prince storm into his chambers. He knew Jungkook would hear about his visit to the merman at some point, but he didn’t expect it to be so soon.

He set the book down next to him on and the bed and slowly stood up, doing his best not to cower when the prince stopped in front of him, his eyes filled with rage.

“I told you before not to stick your nose into this!” continued Jungkook, grabbing the witch by the arms.

Taehyung winced in pain, now regretting the side effects of his spells on Jungkook. The prince was inhumanly strong, his strength increasing each time the witch cast a spell on him to keep him alive. Moreover, Jungkook’s mood became more and more unpredictable, Taehyung was never sure in which mood he’d catch the prince. Just like now, strong emotions such as anger tended to get out of the prince’s control.

“I had to see why you were so secretive,” replied Taehyung, trying to push the brunet away.

“There’s a reason why I kept him a secret and you perfectly know it, Taehyung,” retorted Jungkook, his right hand grabbing the witch by the throat. It was light, but the weight of it, of the power Jungkook had over him, made Taehyung gulp. “What if my uncle had seen you go in there? What if he had decided to pay Jimin a visit too? Can you imagine?”

Taehyung clawed at the hand that was slowly squeezing his throat, but to no avail. When Jungkook was in such a fit of rage, there was nothing to do, he could only hope the other would calm down on his own, and fast.

“I swear, if he had seen Jimin before he turned human, you’d already be on the scaffold,” snarled the prince, pushing the blond away.

Taehyung stumbled backwards, falling on his bed, and gaped in a mix of shock and horror at Jungkook. He knew the merman was important for Jungkook to hide him from almost everybody at court, but Taehyung didn’t expect him to threaten his life, not for this. Jimin wasn’t the only merman in the world, there had to be tons of others, probably not that far away. Merpeople tended to live in shoals from what he knew, therefore Jimin’s had to be close for him to be so close.

“Don’t look at me that way, I expressly forbade you to meddle in this, and you still went behind my back,” sighed Jungkook, crossing his arms.

“I just don’t understand why you need him. Am I not enough for you? I’m helping you after all,” retorted Taehyung, trying to keep his voice stable. “I know all the stories about mermaids saving people from death, but you can’t possibly believe in such a fairytale, Jungkook.”

The prince’s purple eyes darkened.

“What if I do? What if I believe that he could save me in a way you can’t?” he asked. “You know just like me that you will never compromise your integrity as a witch, no witch would. I had to find a solution elsewhere.”

“Aren’t my spells enough though? They’ve been keeping you alive for years.”

Jungkook shook his head, sighing heavily. He could feel himself calming down, but he still had that tingling sensation in his hands he’d had even before leaving Jimin in his new quarters. The prince knew that if Taehyung angered him again, he might not be able to control himself, and it scared him. He didn’t like what those spells were doing to him. He knew Taehyung was already meddling with some forbidden magic to keep him alive, so he couldn’t ask him for more, but the side effects...

“You know just like me that they’re not healing me, they’re only giving me time. We’ve just been burying our head in the sand this whole time,” he sighed taking a few steps back. “And the side effects are horrible, too. Sometimes my body hurts so much it feels like it’s going to split in half.”

“But you're still alive,” said Taehyung softly, sitting up.

“For how long? Taehyung, those spells are tiring you out, and I’m not sure my body can handle this much longer, it might be too much at some point,” replied the prince, sitting down at Taehyung’s desk.

The blond heaved a sigh, his gaze softening as he watched Jungkook rub his eyes. He knew the other was right. He wasn’t sure himself how long Jungkook’s body and mind could take on the side effects of the spell, and he could feel that it was taking a toll on him too, especially the few days after casting it.

“Anyway,” continued Jungkook. “Don’t go anywhere near Jimin in the future, Taehyung. He might look human now, but I’m still against you getting involved in this. You already made things hard enough by visiting him.”

The witch frowned, not quite sure what he meant.

“He doesn’t trust me anymore because of you, and I need him to trust me if I want to be fully healed,” clarified Jungkook, running a hand over his face. “If you know everything about those so-called fairytales, you should know that he’s supposed to fall in love with him.”

Taehyung scoffed at those words, shaking his head. “Please, Jungkook, you know just like me that he won’t fall in love with you. Mermaids don’t trust humans, how could he fall in love with you when you basically imprisoned him?” he retorted, noticing too late what he had just said.

Jungkook glowered at him, the purple of his irises now completely gone, leaving place to a charcoal black. If looks could kill, the witch knew he would have already dropped dead.

“Indeed, you made sure of that when you told him I was manipulating him,” growled the prince, walking up to Taehyung once again, the witch slightly cowering under him.

“It’s true, though. You are manipulating him,” he retorted, staring defiantly at the brunet. “I hate the way I feel, knowing there’s a risk you actually fall in love with him, but you know what I hate even more? Knowing that he’s going to end up heartbroken the moment you get what you want.”

“Watch your words,” warned Jungkook.

“Mermaids are fragile creatures, Jungkook,” continued Taehyung, ignoring his warning. “He might act all tough around you, but they’re actually more fragile than us. I might not be an expert in sea creatures, I didn’t even know sea witches and merpeople could have children together, but I at least know this. If he falls in love with you, if he saves you and then ends up being thrown away, you will kill him.”

The prince rolled his eyes, an exasperated sigh leaving his lips.

“Don’t act like you care about him, Taehyung, it’s not like you to care about others like that,” he said.

A hurt look crossed the witch’s face, he should have expected that sharp reply, but it still stung when it came from Jungkook himself.

“I won’t deny it, I wanted to check the competition when I visited him,” he started, raising his hands in the air in sign of surrender. There was no point lying about this. “I wanted to know why you didn’t let me see him, why you were so secretive about him. But Jimin… He has literally no idea what he got himself into,” he continued, standing up. “You say you’ll have me executed if your uncle finds out about him? No matter what, that merman will be executed!” he couldn’t help the rise in his voice as he uttered those last words, hitting the prince on the chest at each new one that left his lips. “You’re already betrothed, there’s no way your parents will let him live after he’s served his purpose, and they won’t let him go back to the sea either.”

“Don’t act so dramatic,” the prince rolled his eyes.

“Gods, Jungkook, stop being such a heartless dick! You know I’m right. Your parents already have a hard time with me, they won’t accept yet another man in your life.”

“I’m the crown prince, I can do what I want,” snorted the brunet.

The witch grunted in response, pushing the other away before walking to the window.

“I can’t tell if it’s you or the side effects of the spell talking anymore,” he whispered, letting himself fall on the cushions that covered the big windowsill.

“And it’s not like you to worry so much about a stranger, Taehyung,” retorted Jungkook. “You say I’m not myself, but what about you? You’ve always cared about yourself, about what would be to your advantage, about what would pleasure you. Why would you care about a sea creature all of a sudden?”

Taehyung glared at the prince, his deep brown eyes turning gold. Sometimes he had a hard time believing Jungkook had managed to forget who he truly was, how the selfish, self-serving personality he had to put on was really just a façace so he could survive at court. Jungkook never wasted an opportunity to remind him of it when they argued, leaving Taehyung with yet another wound to heal once they were done.

“He’s a fucking witch, that’s why!” he exclaimed, throwing a pillow at Jungkook. “I can’t just let one of my own be destroyed by you. He thinks you’re a sweet man who cares about his well-being, but that’s not who you are. You used to be that way, yes, but not anymore,” he finished dejectedly.

The prince caught the pillow, ready to retort with a scathing remark, but as Taehyung’s words echoed in the room, it felt like something snapped inside of him. He dropped the pillow to the ground, inhaling sharply as he looked away from the witch, unable to withstand the hurt look that didn’t seem leave his eyes.

“You’re right, he doesn’t know anything, he probably deserves better,” he muttered, quickly walking out of the room, not waiting for Taehyung’s answer.

Taehyung was right, Jimin had no idea who he was dealing with. Jungkook wished he was wrong, but everything the blond had said was true. What Taehyung didn’t know was that Jungkook’s plan wasn’t going the way he wanted, the prince knew that if he had to, he would protect the merman, something he hadn’t planned on doing before.

Jimin was supposed to fall in love with him, but instead Jungkook had slowly started growing fond of the merman, even if he knew Jimin would probably never make it out of the castle alive. He was the crown prince, he had a lot of freedom, but if there was one thing his parents weren’t so keen on, it was him having lovers. He had the right to have some, he was a man in the royal family after all, he knew some girls even fought to get the status of mistress. However, he knew the king and queen wanted him to be faithful to his betrothed, something he hadn’t been able to be, to their dismay. They had agreed to let Taehyung live at court, they had agreed to let them have a somewhat secret relationship, but they wouldn’t agree to someone else. And once he was officially married, the prince doubted he would even have time for Taehyung. He knew there even was a possibility that his childhood friend would end up dead. It would be masked as a murder, one that would conveniently stay unresolved.

Jimin had no idea who Jungkook was, and Jungkook wasn’t even sure who he was anymore either, he didn’t feel like himself most of the time. The merman had gotten to know his good side, but there was a lot that he didn’t know about Jungkook as well as about the whole situation. If Jimin knew what was going to happen to him after he saved the prince, if that even happened, he probably would have done everything to escape already, something the brunet couldn’t risk. For now the king and queen hadn’t heard about Jimin, but Jungkook knew he wouldn’t be able to keep the merman a secret forever. He had thought about introducing him to them in the beginning, but he didn't feel the same anymore. Jimin wasn’t just a means to an end anymore. Now he was worried about the merman's fate, perfectly aware that his parents wouldn't have any qualms in getting rid of him. While Taehyung had been Jungkook's friend since they were children, Jimin was a newcomer, a stranger in a way, nothing protected him from the king and the queen.

“You look like you need to relax a bit.”

The prince startled, looking up to lock eyes with none other than the merman himself.

“Jimin, what are you doing here?” he asked, looking around him.

He mentally scolded himself for the stupid question when he realised that he had wandered to the merman’s quarters area.

“I’m just taking a walk, getting used to my legs,” replied Jimin, a hint of a smile on his plump lips. “Don’t worry, the servant you assigned to watch me is following me like my shadow,” he said, pointing behind his back. Hyorin was indeed standing a few steps behind him, bowing as the prince locked eyes with her. “What I’m wondering is what you’re doing here. You said you wouldn’t be coming back today.”

Jungkook couldn’t help but smile sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

“I didn’t pay attention to where I was going,” he replied.

The merman hummed in response, his face unreadable.

“I was on my way to the bathhouse, maybe you should come along and take some time to relax there,” ended up saying Jimin. “Hyorin told me it's a good place to unwind.”

“Do you even know what a bathhouse is?” asked the prince, smiling.

“No, that’s pretty much why I want to go,” huffed the merman, looking away as he walked past the brunet, still slightly wobbly on his legs.

Jungkook shook his head, still smiling. Somehow his mood tended to get better the moment he was around the sea creature, which was why he knew he had to forget what he had originally planned to do with him.

He turned around, quickly catching up with Jimin. “Considering you’re a sea creature, you should love the bathhouse,” he said, taking the lead. “We don’t use sea water, but you should still enjoy it.”

“Water?” asked Jimin, cocking his head to the side.

“The bathhouse is used to clean ourselves, as well as relax,” explained the prince. “There are several ones, servants obviously don’t have a bath in the same place as nobles and the royal family.”

“Which one can I use then?” asked the merman. “I may be of noble blood, but that’s only back home.”

“Don’t worry about that,” replied Jungkook, entering the royal bathhouse, Hyorin staying outside. “You can use this one, just ask Hyorin before heading here so you’re certain not to come across the king or the queen.”

He glanced at Jimin when he noticed how quiet the merman was all of a sudden. He softly smiled when he saw how the silver-haired man was watching the room in awe, slowly walking around, touching the empress green marble walls. The room had subdued lighting, the water reflecting around so that it almost looked like they were underwater.

“This almost feels like my mum’s cave back home,” whispered Jimin, squatting down to dip his fingers in the water.

Jungkook raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear Jimin talk about his mother. If there was one thing Jimin barely talked about, it was his mother. He had mentioned growing up at court with his father, but he never really talked about his mother. Jungkook only knew she was a sea witch.

“What’s this smell?” asked Jimin, now only noticing the scent in the air. “And why isn’t the water clear?”

“We usually pour essential oils in the water,” replied the prince, starting to undress. “The servants saw me arrive, so they already poured some.”

“Why are you undressing yourself?” frowned the merman.

“You really don’t know anything about humans, do you?” snorted the brunet.

Jimin looked away, pouting. What did the prince expect? Of course he didn’t know anything. He had been learning things over the past few weeks, but not much, after all he had been stuck in a swimming pool until now.

“I know that people don’t usually get naked in front of strangers,” he retorted, crossing his arms.

Jungkook softly laughed, stepping into the bath.

“We don’t mind it all that much, not in this kind of situations at least,” replied the prince, sighing in pure bliss as he basked into the heat. “And you’re not exactly a stranger,” he added with a smirk.

“But what if I turn back to my original form? I honestly don’t want to go through the pain of turning human again,” frowned Jimin, staring at the water warily now that that thought had crossed his mind.

“You’ve already dipped your hand, right? I’m pretty sure you’ll be fine, you’re not a normal merman anyway,” said Jungkook, closing his eyes as he tipped his head back.

For a few seconds the only sound in the room was the water fountain continuously filling the baths. Then there was the soft rustle of clothes falling to the ground and soon after he could hear Jimin getting in the bath too.

“This feels weird, being in water but not having a tail… And it’s so warm.”

The prince opened his eyes to look at the other, unable to stop himself from staring when his eyes landed on him. Jimin already had his robe on when Jungkook had seen him in his human form, so he hadn’t been able to see the other’s complete appearance. But now he could see it, and he hadn’t expected something like this. Jimin’s pale skin seemed to almost shine in the dark lit room, the same way water did under moonlight, but what caught Jungkook’s eye was the white tattoos that covered the smaller man’s body. Jimin obviously didn’t have gills anymore as he didn’t need them, but where they should have been were now tattoos, similar to the tribal one he had in his back. They spread to his arms and some lines outlined his ribs. Jungkook couldn’t see the rest of his body as it was immersed in the milky water, but he was willing to bet that those tattoos spread further down.

“You humans really need to learn good manners.”

The prince snapped out of his daze when Jimin uttered those words.

“Sorry,” he quickly said, looking away.

Jimin shook his head with a short laugh, looking at his hands under the water.

“Just relax. I feel stressed just by how tense you are,” he said softly, leaning against the opposite side of the bath.

“I’m relaxed,” frowned Jungkook.

“No, you’re not. Maybe you think you are, but I can still sense anger coming from you. I’m not sure what put you into that state, but it won’t do you any good. You’re supposed to be careful because of your condition, strong emotions like that will only worsen the way you feel.”

Jungkook sighed, not quite sure how Jimin could feel all that. He didn’t feel angry anymore, not after Taehyung’s last words. He might have been enraged at first, but now he could only accept the way the blond felt. It still didn’t quite seem like the witch to worry so much about someone else’s well-being, but his explanations made sense, he even had admitted that at first he had only wanted to see if Jimin was a threat to him, to his status.

The prince startled when he felt small hands on his shoulders, forcing him to move.

“Just relax,” said Jimin, starting to massage the brunet’s shoulders.

“Why are you doing this?” asked Jungkook, trying to turn around to look at the merman, but he only received a hard slap on his left shoulder that made him stay in place.

“I need to relax too, and you’re definitely not helping, you’re oozing anger,” replied the other.

“But I’m no–”

“Yeah and I’m fucking Poseidon,” cut him off the merman. “Just shut up and enjoy the fact that I’m actually giving you a massage.”

The prince softly laughed, closing his eyes and letting the other do what he wanted.

Jimin pushed Jungkook down so he immersed himself in the water some more, feeling how tense his muscles were. He pressed his thumbs in-between his shoulder blades, earning himself a moan. He stared down at the prince, wide-eyed. He hadn’t expected to get such a reaction from Jungkook, not from a simple massage at least. He shook his head and went back to massaging the other, feeling how the tension was slowly leaving Jungkook’s body.

As he looked down at the other’s face, at how close it was to being underwater, he thought for a moment about pushing the prince further down. It would be so easy to drown him, to get rid of the man that kept him here, but something made him decide otherwise. As much as killing the other might offer him freedom and a possibility to escape, he also felt like the other’s death would hurt him more than anything, although he wasn’t quite sure how that was possible. He was a mere human after all, he wasn’t worth a merman’s time, or so wanted to believe Jimin.

He looked away, sighing heavily. He was so screwed.

 

* * *

 

Taehyung stood in front of the royal bathhouse’s doors, shaking his head, dejected, as he heard the prince moan.

“You’re an idiot, Jungkook,” he muttered, turning on his heels to walk away, ignoring Hyorin calling for him.

They were all doomed. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that none of them would get out of this unscathed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taehyung really isn't that bad as you can see, poor boy is the only one who can see through it all right now.
> 
> Join me on my Twitter [@minmoanie](https://twitter.com/minmoanie) if you want to talk! You can also come and ask me questions on my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/minmoanie) if you want ♡
> 
> Kudos and comments (respectful please) are always appreciated ♡


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on twitter ([@minmoanie](https://twitter.com/minmoanie)) and [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/minmoanie)  
> 

“I’m telling you, something happened to him,” insisted Namjoon, quickly swimming in front of the shark merman so he would face him again.

“I know you care about my son a lot, Namjoon, but this is ridiculous. This isn’t the first time he disappears on us,” sighed the other in exasperation, running a hand over his face.

“For a month? I know how Jimin is, but he would never go away for so long, not without telling us,” retorted the purple-haired merman, frowning. “I’ve a bad feeling and so does Hoseok.”

Jimin’s father stared at the silver and purple scaled merman, crossing his arms over his broad chest and shaking his head. Why did his son have to cause so much trouble? He had more urgent matters to take care of.

“If you want to look for him, you have my permission to do so, but don’t come to me again. Jimin’s old enough to take care of himself, it’s not like he’s just any merman after all,” ended up saying the royal advisor.

Namjoon stared at the other in disbelief as his shoulders slumped slightly, knowing there was no point continuing this conversation. He knew it would be hard to convince Jimin’s father that something had happened to his son, but he didn’t think that he would be that reluctant to talk about it, to even hear about it.

“He’s always been quite curious and reckless, I’m sure he’ll come back to us safe and sound, like always,” uttered the older merman, patting the other on the shoulder before swimming away.

Namjoon watched the royal advisor swim away, in direction of the palace's central court, before turning around, leaving the grounds as fast as possible. Jimin’s father didn’t want to hear about it, and his mother had been travelling for the past month, she probably wasn’t even aware of her son’s disappearance. Hoseok had tried to contact her, but she had warned them that she might be out of touch for the duration of her trip.

“I’m guessing it didn’t go so well.”

Namjoon looked up to see Hoseok dressed in a white with soft blue hues chiton, his long hair, of different shades of purple and pink, tied in a braid, resting on his chest. He was sitting on a closed clam, leaning back on his hands, legs crossed.

“He just doesn’t care,” muttered Namjoon, sitting next to his light purple-skinned best friend. “I get that he’s busy with everything going on right now, but it’s his son who disappeared.”

“Nothing new,” replied Hoseok, looking up at the royal palace, playing with one of the white pearls that hung from his left ear. “Jimin’s an abnormality, and I know you hate it when I say this, but it’s a fact. I’m pretty sure his father actually would be relieved to hear that his son is gone forever.”

“I know,” groaned the merman, burying his face in his hands.

Hoseok softly smiled at the other, ruffling his purple hair, the ends sparkling in his fingers as they were in touch with magic.

“Did you try throwing another locator spell?” asked Namjoon, rubbing his eyes, ignoring how the other was playing with his hair. “I can’t believe that your connection with Jimin’s gone, you two always had this weird bond, you understood each other’s feelings without even voicing them out.”

Hoseok scratched the back of his neck, looking away from the merman.

“I did, but it’s still the same. I can feel him, he’s alive, but it’s just…” he trailed off, taking out a necklace from the small purse that hung on the side of his waist. Jimin used to wear it all the time when his mother had given it to him. “It doesn’t make any sense…”

“What do you mean?” asked Namjoon, now staring at his best friend, his eyebrows knitted together. “You told me before that you could barely sense him, you couldn’t even tell if he was alive or not.”

Hoseok shifted uncomfortably in his spot, knowing very well that he shouldn’t have kept this from Namjoon. He just wasn’t sure that what he felt was right, that what he had seen was actually possible. However, after asking several older and more experienced witches, he had come to the conclusion that what he had felt and seen was the truth, as unbelievable as it was.

“He’s up there, on dry land,” explained Hoseok, pointing his finger above them, at the surface. “And before you say anything,” he started, seeing how the other had straightened up the moment those words had left his lips. “I kept this a secret because I thought I was misunderstanding what I felt and saw,” he continued, standing up.

“I don’t care, you should have told me the moment you felt that! It changes everything,” retorted Namjoon, pushing himself off the clam with his tail. “We can’t do anything if he’s on dry land.”

“Of course we can, or at least I can,” replied Hoseok, putting the necklace back in his purse. “We haven’t seen mermaids turn into their human forms in ages, but I’d just have to change my skin colour and then I’d blend in pretty easily.”

“And what about your gills and hands? Your eyes? And your face tattoos? I don’t think humans are used to seeing people with white tattoos on their face.”

Hoseok looked down at his webbed fingers, shrugging.

“Nothing a spell can’t solve.”

“Hoseok,” sighed Namjoon. “You have no idea what human customs are like, you’d stick out like a sore thumb.”

“It can’t be that hard,” said the other, rolling his two-coloured eyes.

“Your coven wouldn't let you do that anyway,” retorted the Namjoon matter-of-factly, his arms crossed over his chest. “You’re too precious to them, they won’t risk losing you to humans.”

“I don’t care what my coven wants, Joonie. We can’t just leave Jimin in the hands of humans.”

“You said he was alive, that’s something good. We shouldn’t rush it, we need to think this through because if we mess up…”

“I know,” sighed the sea witch, looking away.

He said that Jimin was fine because he could feel that he wasn’t physically harmed, but Hoseok could feel something else, something he wasn’t sure he should tell Namjoon. Jimin despised humans with all his heart, while other merpeople had slowly moved on as it seemed humans had forgotten about them, the past two centuries of peace being enough proof to that matter. Namjoon was one of those who didn’t really care much about humans anymore. However, if Hoseok told him what Jimin was feeling, he wasn’t sure it would stay that way. The purple-haired merman was very protective of his friends, and as kindhearted as he was, he could be ruthless, too. They both had witnessed Jimin at his worst, they both had to pick up the pieces, so if Namjoon knew...

Hoseok honestly had no idea how Jimin’s heart had ended up in such a state. He could feel that his best friend was tormented by his feelings, feelings for a _human_ apparently, and that left the sea witch sceptical. How could Jimin possibly have fallen for a human being, out of all creatures in the world? He knew for a fact that his best friend would push those feelings away as much as possible, but at some point he wouldn’t be able to anymore and it would all come down crashing on him all of a sudden. Hoseok couldn’t help but worry about the other’s state, knowing better than anyone how Jimin dealt with love. It wasn’t a feeling he liked, not after what had happened decades ago; he actually dreaded it. To think that he had fallen for a human, the creature he hated the most who also turned out to have the shortest lifespan… This would only break Jimin’s heart all over again.

“Hoseok, what’s going on?”

The sea witch blinked a few times, only noticing now that he had spaced out for a moment.

“Sorry, I was just thinking,” he replied, smiling sheepishly.

“Maybe you should go back home? It’s getting late and the curfew’s still on after the storm we had a few days ago,” suggested Namjoon, their surroundings getting darker as the sun set in the sky, small orbs of lights appearing everywhere to light the underwater realm.

“I guess I should,” replied Hoseok, poking a blue sphere that appeared near his face, observing it vibrate as it was touched.

“Do you want me to go with you? I still need to look for the missing eggs,” offered the merman, smiling softly at the other.

“You haven’t recovered all of them yet?” asked the sea witch, the blue orb now forgotten as he looked back at his best friend.

Namjoon shook his head in defeat.

“It wouldn’t be so urgent if there wasn't a royal egg among the ones still missing,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Hoseok gaped at the other, he wasn’t aware that a royal egg was missing. No wonder Jimin’s father had other things to worry about than his son, a future royal was missing.

“Fuck,” groaned Namjoon, noticing the other’s expression. “Forget I told you that, you weren’t supposed to know!”

“Whose egg is it?” still asked Hoseok, not giving a damn about what Namjoon was allowed to do or say to him.

“Prince Minhyuk’s,” whispered the merman with a scowl.

“Well, I can tell some heads are gonna roll if his egg isn’t found,” snorted the sea witch. “Especially that it’s his first child.”

“No need to remind me of that,” groaned the other, starting to swim in the direction of the other’s place.

“Have you asked for the coven’s help?” asked Hoseok, following after the other.

“We did, but they aren’t very fond of Prince Minhyuk, so it took some bargaining to have them finally accept to help,” sighed the merman.

He knew the witches’ antipathy for the prince was well-founded, the royal merman had a tendency to disrespect other sea creatures very publicly, but witches were smart and they had to know that if they refused to lend a hand, it would be to their disadvantage in the end. Thankfully, Jimin’s father was a good negotiator, and as much as the older merman abhorred his son’s nature for some obscure reasons, he still held sea witches in high regard.

“And they still haven't located it? That doesn’t make any sense,” pointed out Hoseok, his eyebrows knitting together.

“Hoseok, please, don’t push it, a commoner shouldn’t know about this.”

The sea witch scoffed, staring at Namjoon in disbelief.

“Please, don’t start treating me like a stranger all of a sudden, and I’m not a commoner,” he said, rolling his eyes.

Namjoon only threw his best friend a pleading look, silently begging him to let go of this matter. If anyone learnt that Namjoon was telling Hoseok about such important royal matters, the merman could very well lose his head.

“Alright, sorry,” sighed the sea witch, smiling apologetically.

Hoseok tended to forget how Namjoon actually wasn’t supposed to talk about those things with him. Jimin always snuck around the palace, learning about things that could have very well destroyed the royal family. He would later confide in Hoseok, therefore the sea witch had never really thought that one day, said secrets would actually seal someone’s fate. Jimin, as much as he didn’t consider himself of noble blood due to his mix blood and the way most people treated him, actually was of high status, and thus was more protected than most sea creatures. As long as he didn’t do anything to effectively harm the royal family, there was no reason to stop him from snooping around. Hoseok also wasn’t exactly a nobody, which probably was the reason why nobody had stopped Jimin from frequenting him; Namjoon, however…

“I know you’re used to Jimin telling you about literally everything,” said Namjoon, stopping in front of Hoseok’s cave. “But I’m not of his social standing, I shouldn’t talk to you about this at all, I’m not even supposed to know about certain things. My father’s name is helping in that matter, but I’m still a newbie, I need to earn their trust and work my way up myself.”

“I know, Namjoon, I shouldn’t have insisted, I'm sorry,” replied Hoseok, patting the other’s left forearm. “But if you ever need help, you can always come to me. I’m curious, but if you tell me to not ask questions, then I won’t.”

He opened the door to his cave, snapping his fingers to light up his place with blue flames.

“Just go do your job, I’ll try to come up with a way to bring Jimin back,” he continued, smiling softly at the other.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Hoseok,” warned Namjoon.

“You know me,” chuckled the sea witch.

“That’s exactly why I’m saying this,” retorted the merman, rolling his eyes, as he swam away.

Hoseok laughed and closed his door, shaking his head. Namjoon might have disagreed with him, but he knew what he had to do to get Jimin back, they didn’t really have a choice in this case. Someone had to turn human in order to get in touch with Jimin, and Hoseok was the best person to do so. He already had been on dry land before, although it was on an uninhabited island. He knew how his body worked on the surface, a merman however… Merpeople had no idea what it was like to have legs, they would have to learn everything from the very beginning, and Hoseok knew they had no time for that. They had to act fast before it was too late for Jimin.

He stared in his mirror, tracing with his fingers the white tribal tattoos that marked the sides of his face as well as forehead, spreading to his neck and further down his arms and chest. It would require a lot of energy to cast a spell that would change his appearance completely so he’d blend in with humans, he was very well aware of it, but he knew he could do it.

He looked down at one of his bracelet, the twin to Jimin’s own. He slowly twisted it, the aquamarine starting to glow. He had felt the tug on their bond a month ago. He hadn’t thought much about it back then, thinking that Jimin had just fumbled with his bracelets, but now he knew Jimin had actually tried to contact him, however, he must have already been on the dry land, for the only word that had reached Hoseok was a faint _"here"_.

The sea witch softly kissed the stone, all of his attention focused on his best friend. He knew his own message might not reach him, but it didn't hurt to try.

“I’ll be there soon,” he whispered against the glowing stone, his own blue and grey eyes gleaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now you get to meet Jimin's friends! There are still more characters who need to appear, but right now it was necessary to at least introduce Hoseok!
> 
> Join me on my Twitter [@minmoanie](https://twitter.com/minmoanie) if you want to talk! You can also come and ask me questions on my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/minmoanie) if you want ♡
> 
> Kudos and comments (respectful please) are always appreciated ♡


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on twitter ([@minmoanie](https://twitter.com/minmoanie)) and [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/minmoanie)
> 
> **TW** : mention of past minor harassment

Jimin groaned, looking away from the book he had been reading while lounging on his canopy bed, legs kicking in the air. Jungkook had told him it was still too early for him to go out of his quarters on his own, he either had to be in Jungkook’s company, or Hyorin’s, but at the moment none of them were available. The servant had to go to town to buy some supplies and Jungkook was locked in the council room, trying to resolve some border issues with his father and the councilmen.

Usually, Jimin could always find something to occupy himself, but he was bored. He was tired of reading books and his right ankle still hurt after he had twisted it earlier that week. He had healed the sprain, but the pain always took a few more days to subside, despite the injury being completely gone.

He looked at his bracelet, the aquamarine glowing faintly. Two weeks ago, Hoseok’s voice had rung in his head, a short but determined _“I’ll be there soon”_ making Jimin’s skin crawl in dread. He had begged, lips brushing against the glowing stone, for Hoseok to stay home, to not come and risk his own life.

Of course he knew, already in the very beginning of his captivity, that there had been a risk of Hoseok trying to get on the dry land to bring him back home, but Jimin had hoped Namjoon would be there to stop the sea witch, to reason with him and talk him out of doing something so dangerous. As much as Jimin missed them both, he would never forgive himself if something were to happen to them because of his own recklessness.

He twisted the bracelet a few times, focusing on his bond with Hoseok and waited for the stone’s glow to intensify. He brought it to his lips, murmuring a soft but pleading _don’t come_ , hoping the sea witch would get the message.

“So they are magical artifacts.”

Jimin gasped in surprise, head whipping in direction of the door.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” sighed Taehyung, smiling apologetically, his behaviour drastically different from their first meeting. “I slipped in before anyone could notice.”

“What are you doing here?” asked Jimin, placing his hand over the aquamarine stone, warily looking at the blond witch.

“I’m taking advantage of the only time Jungkook is too busy to visit you,” shrugged the witch, retying his silk robes properly, checking himself in the large mirror that rested against one of the walls of Jimin’s room. “Sorry, I had to turn into a cat to come here, Jungkook made sure to tell everybody who knows about you that I’m not allowed to visit you,” he groaned, something akin to a pout gracing his lips.

“With reasons,” retorted Jimin, an eyebrow raised defiantly. “You’re lucky I didn’t tell him you tried to boil me alive.”

Taehyung laughed, shaking his head. “It wouldn’t have made a big difference. He couldn’t have been any angrier than he was when he came to me,” he replied, hand rubbing at his neck, still feeling the ghost of Jungkook’s hands squeezing his throat.

Jimin eyed him warily, although he could sense that the other had no ill intention towards him.

“I know I didn’t leave a good impression after our first meeting.”

Jimin scoffed, that was an understatement.

“But I think you also understand where I was coming from,” continued the witch, going to sit on the cushioned window seat.

“You felt threatened,” replied Jimin, sitting up. “I asked Hyorin about you. She wasn’t too keen on talking about you, she seems to respect you a lot. But she did tell me that you’re Jungkook’s lover, a concubine of sorts. That you’ve been sought after by many at court and that I shouldn’t be fooled by the façade you’ve put on, even if everybody at court believes it’s the real you.”

Taehyung sighed, although he couldn’t help but smile. Hyorin would always try to paint him as someone misunderstood, someone who deserved more than what life had given him.

“And Jungkook told me that your spells only buy him some time, that they don’t actually heal him.”

“If it weren’t for me, he would have died years ago,” replied Taehyung, locking eyes with Jimin. “But you’re right, it doesn’t quite heal him. We’ve told ourselves that because we thought there was nothing else to do.”

“It’s dark magic, isn’t it?”

Taehyung only nodded in response, playing with the ruby ring he always wore on his ring finger, a gift from the prince.

“You really love him, don’t you?”

“What tells you that?” snorted the blond.

“You’ve already compromised yourself by doing those spells, if he was just a friend, or just a prince you serve who fucks you when he feels like it, you wouldn’t go to such an extent to save him,” pointed out Jimin. He would have normally felt smug for seeing right through the witch. Had this been their first meeting, he definitely would have rubbed it in the other’s face, but truthfully, now it pained him. There was something about Taehyung that resonated deeply within him, with his own soul.

“So what if I love him?” retorted Taehyung dejectedly. “As you said, I’m just a concubine. My feelings don’t matter as long as they don’t get in the way of my duty.”

Jimin slid to the edge of the bed, towards Taehyung. “But your duty isn’t one of a concubine.”

“What tells you that? You don’t know what happens behind closed doors, you don’t know what he’s like when it’s just the two of us.”

“It’s the second time you tell me I don’t know him,” remarked Jimin.

“Because you don’t,” scoffed Taehyung, looking away, focusing his gaze on the gardens instead. “Or at least, you don’t know all of him.”

Jimin already knew there was more to Jungkook than what the prince had let him see. He had felt the anger coming off in waves that time in the bath house, and the more he grew accustomed to this body, to his witch senses completely awakening, the more he realised there was indeed a part of Jungkook he didn’t know at all.

“Yet you still love him, despite the fact that he isn’t as nice as he pretends to be when he’s with me.”

Taehyung shook his head, bending his legs so he could cross his arms over his knees, resting his chin on his forearms. “Jungkook isn’t a bad person.”

“But–”

“I made him the way he is now,” cut him off the witch, glancing sideways at Jimin. “What you see of him, it’s the Jungkook I fell in love with when we were barely teenagers. It’s the Jungkook who told me he loved me when he was only ten after I showed him how I could make flowers appear out of nowhere in my hands, how I could make them grow and bloom,” a soft smile graced Taehyung’s lips as he spoke. “It’s the prince who punched a nobleman for touching me inappropriately, the prince who asked the king and queen for permission to claim me as his own so I was out of reach for other men. It’s the same prince who will now do anything to protect you, the same way he used to with me.”

“How can you be so sure of that? I’m only a means to an end, you know that, you know he only wants me to fall in love with him so I can bring him back to life when his disease takes him away.”

“It’s simple, he looks at you the same way he looked at me.”

Jimin stared at the other, at a loss for words, a soft _oh_ leaving his lips as it dawned upon him.

“I observe the both of you when he takes you out on walks deep in the night, I can see the way he takes care of you… You could think that it’s a ploy to make you fall in love with him, but you know just like me that he does all this in earnest.”

Jimin looked away, hating how Taehyung was right. Had Jungkook been playing him, he would have immediately sensed it, that’s why it was so difficult to keep a secret from witches, especially from those you spent so much time with.

“At first, I believed he saw you as a way to survive only, too. That day you turned human? He came to see me, he was mad…” Taehyung recollected, looking up thoughtfully at the dark sky, the sun had set not so long ago. “And I accused him of manipulating you because, in a way, that’s what he was doing at first. I was actually worried of what would become of you once he had what he wanted… But after spending the past three weeks observing the two of you, I realise that it’s not the same anymore… He doesn’t see you that way anymore. He probably didn’t see you that way quite early on, he just hid it well.”

Jimin inhaled sharply, not quite sure he was ready to hear that.

“And I know what it means for you to fall in love, I know it’s not easy for merpeople. But I also know how easy it is to fall for Jungkook, especially when the side effects of my spells aren’t fucking him up.”

“What tells you I’ll fall in love with him?” countered Jimin, eyebrows knitted together.

Taehyung turned his head to fully look at him, his eyes boring into Jimin’s. “Jimin, we’re both witches, we’re both extremely sensitive to other people’s emotions and auras.”

“Please don’t–”

“I won’t push you to acknowledge those feelings, I can see you still have scars that are healing.”

Jimin’s eyes widened at those words. The wounds of his past were something nobody dared speak about back home, even Hoseok and Namjoon had stopped trying to help him get better, had let him pretend that he was fine. He didn’t understand how Taehyung had sensed it, he had concealed his wounds so well, even his mother and Hoseok couldn’t perceive them anymore.

He could feel tears prick at his eyes as Taehyung kept speaking, the blond’s eyes awfully kind and understanding, the hard edge he had to himself that first time had completely melted, letting place to someone who might have been just as vulnerable as Jimin.

“Truthfully, I’d rather you didn’t fall in love with him, not for my own sake, but for yours. I may not have grown up in a coven, I may not know what that kind of sisterhood and sense of belonging feel like, but I know that I wish for you to get out of this unscathed,” said Taehyung, standing up to close the distance between him and Jimin in just a few steps.

“Hyorin’s right, you’re not as bad as you pretend to be,” muttered Jimin, looking up at the other.

Taehyung laughed, not having expected the other to say that.

“We’re more similar than one would think,” he added, reaching to grasp one of Taehyung’s hands, long fingers wrapping around his own. “You hide your pain too, don’t you?”

“You can’t allow your weaknesses to show in a place like this,” replied Taehyung.

“Not even to Jungkook?”

Taehyung opened his mouth only to close it, looking down at their hands instead.

“He doesn’t quite realise how he’s hurting you, does he?”

“It doesn’t matter,” replied Taehyung, sitting down next to Jimin when the silver-haired witch tugged on his hand. “But over the years, he seems to have forgotten that I put up a front when I’m in court, that’s true.”

“Why don’t you tell him then? Why don’t you remind him of why you’re both in the position you are now?”

“Because I love him no matter what, I can feel it in my bones,” he replied, golden eyes gleaming.

Jimin could somehow see himself in Taehyung in that moment, the certainty that Taehyung’s gaze held, it was the same he had decades ago, before the love of his life was ripped away from him.

He had never seen Taehyung and Jungkook in the same room, but now he wished he had, he wished he could see their auras when they were together, see if they meddled the same way soulmates’ auras did when they were together. However, even without that, Jimin could feel the love Taehyung had for Jungkook, he could feel it pour into him too the longer he looked into Taehyung’s eyes, spreading like wildfire through his veins.

He let go of the blond’s hands, a soft gasp leaving his lips, body tingling all over.

“You can feel it, right?”

Jimin gulped, not quite sure how this was possible. Or maybe he knew, he knew that it was possible, but he had never witnessed it, and certainly never experienced it himself.

“Soulmates come in all sorts of shapes and species, don’t forget that,” whispered Taehyung with a small smile, hands cupping Jimin’s face, thumbs rubbing softly under his eyes. “And not always in pairs contrary to popular belief,” he added, his smile turning cocky, before kissing Jimin on the forehead, eyes closed.

“You hate me.”

“Do I, really?” asked Taehyung with an eyebrow raised, setting some space between them, eyes still gleaming like they were made of liquid gold.

Jimin was speechless, once again. He could almost feel his aura vibrate around him, something he had never thought he would ever experience, it seemed to slowly sync with Taehyung’s, tendrils of both their auras reaching for one another.

“Jungkook deserves to live, I won’t stop you from saving him when the time comes. I want him to live, I _need_ him to live. I believe you understand that better than anyone,” said Taehyung, standing up. “But don’t forget, Jimin, you deserve to live, too, you need to live. The both of us are our own people, we don’t exist just to serve him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the time it took me to update this. I didn't think it would take me so long, especially considering how fast I actually wrote this chapter (holidays, internship and uni took a lot more of my time than I thought).
> 
> Anyway! Here's a full vmin chapter, I hope you enjoyed learning more about Taehyung, baby deserves so much more, that's for sure.
> 
> Join me on my Twitter [@minmoanie](https://twitter.com/minmoanie) if you want to talk! You can also come and ask me questions on my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/minmoanie) if you want ♡
> 
> Kudos and comments (respectful please) are always appreciated ♡ They help a lot with the motivation to write 🥺


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